Casinos hit jackpot in 2010
By Lee Hyo-sik
The state-run Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), the operator of the Seven Luck Casino, along with other foreigner-only casinos attracted a combined total of over 2 million customers in 2010, the largest ever, boosted by increasing inbound foreign tourists.
According to casino industry officials, Monday, the number of foreigners who visited casinos went up sharply from the 1.68 million recorded in 2009, significantly boosting their bottom lines.
On its own, GKL, a 51-percent-stake of which is owned by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), said it attracted nearly 1.3 million customers in 2010, up more than 10 percent from 1.15 million in 2009. Korea’s largest casino-chain operates a casino at the Millennium Hilton Seoul hotel at the foot of Mt. Nam in central Seoul, another in southern Seoul and a third in Busan.
GKL said record-high revenues last year are expected to be posted on the back of surging Chinese visitors who are famous for their love of gambling.
KTO estimates that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea last year soared to 1.88 million from 1.21 million a year earlier, with the overall number of foreign visitors exceeding 8.8 million, up 12.5 percent from 7.82 million.
The nation’s second-largest casino operator, Paradise Group, expects to attract about 600,000 foreign customers, up from 458,000 in 2009.
The casino industry said the rising number of Chinese tourists certainly bolstered the bottom line of local casino operators, adding the revised Financial Transaction Law allowing foreigners to buy casino chips with credit cards in June further boosted the spending by casino visitors.
About 23 percent of incoming foreign tourists to Korea visited casinos at least once in 2010, up from 21.5 percent a year ago.
카지노 업계 작년 대박
세븐럭 카지노 운영자인 그랜드 코리아레저와 그 밖의 외국인 전용 카지노들은 지난해 외국인 여행객의 입국 급증으로 역대 최고치인 200만 명이 넘는 고객을 끌어들였다.
월요일 카지노 업계 관계자에 따르면, 국내 카지노를 방문한 외국인 여행객 수는 200만을 넘어서 2009년 168만을 훨씬 상회할 것으로 내다 봤다.
한국관광공사가 전체 주식의 51%를 소유하고 있는 그랜드 코리아레저는 지난해 130만명 가까운 고객을 유치 전년대비 10%증가를 보였다. 국내 최대 카지노 체인인 GKL은 서울 시내에 밀레니엄 힐튼호텔에 카지노가 하나 있고 강남관 부산에 하나씩 운영 총 3개를 운영하고 있다.
GKL측은 도박을 좋아하는 중국인 관광객이 엄청 들어와 지난해 최고 수입을 기록할 것이라고 밝혔다.